All Time

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Won't Last a Day Without You

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Newbie radio DJ George Harrison “Heidee” Apostol (Sarah Geronimo) receives a distressed phone call from a girl who catches her boyfriend “cheating” on her at a gas station. Coming from a previous relationship that ended badly, Heidee results in giving bitter love advice, like telling her callers in a high pitched voice to dump their significant others. Hearing his name broadcasted on national radio, Andrew Escalona (Gerald Anderson) rushes to the station, confronts the DJ, and threatens to bring the matter to KBP. The threatened DJ agrees to fix what “she has broken” and in a very surprising twist that has never been seen in the big screen before, hold your breath: they fall in love.

The whole may I rush to the radio station after your girlfriend breaks up with you on air seems too contrived; and that blackmail involving the KBP, seriously? Where are we, Burma? If this is even considered slander, Cristy Fermin would have been given the lethal injection by now. It is even more surprising to know that there are people who still wash their dirty laundry on the radio. Nowadays you just do that on Facebook and you even get fifteen minutes of fame and ridicule for free.

Same old, same old. The formula used is still that one they derived from Korean TV series: boy ignores girl, girl does something (in/directly) that gets her caught up in boy’s drama, boy chases girl. Sprinkle some time-tested plot complications like a nagger girlfriend who always ends up being the third party despite her legitimate position as the other half in the existing relationship, and voila! You have a 100M peso romantic comedy. The only difference is that the Koreans are not that fond of big gestures as finales, like a crowd stopping moment at a bus station where people pause to swoon and say “Aaaaaw” in unison. This only happens in movies. In real life some killjoy would call the police to arrest you for causing a mild disturbance. Or worse, some psycho driver will run you over, specially during rush hour.

Viva is obviously using the template they had for Sharon to mold Sarah’s career, which means casting her in two romantic comedies a year where she acts cute and adorable and giggling all the time. This is fine because Sarah (first name basis kami) has proven her worth as a multimedia star. Acting is not the only thing she does, and for that it could take the backseat. The resemblance to Joana Ampil is evident again, specially when she wears her hair in a bun. Sarah, when you decide to focus on acting and win awards, please do a musical or two. Theater fans could be really welcoming when the person deserves it. Ask Nikki Gil. Anyway, it is a good thing though that Sarah (first name basis talaga kami) is not stuck with one love team. This would be her fourth 100 million rom-com to date* (do not count the one with Judy Ann, that is more of a sibling comedy) with two different leading men. That is a good thing in terms of bankability as a movie star.

Gerald is also proving something here. Between him and Kim Chiu, I honestly thought that the latter would go farther once their love team comes to a close, but lately it seems like Gerald (kami rin, first name basis) is getting the good breaks with the range of characters he gets to portray (think Budoy). He could go the way of John Lloyd Cruz if he plays his cards right. If Derek Ramsey was not just lucky enough to be riding the waves oof his back to back blockbusters, Anderson would probably get the crown that John Lloyd would if he did a movie this year. Who are we kidding; it would go to Bong Revilla or Vic Sotto because of the MMFF. The thing here is that Anderson would emerge as a box office force to be reckoned with, if he gets the same luck Sarah is getting in her movie career.

Joey de Leon is the comic relief and is missed every time he is not onscreen. His comic timing needs some polishing but we are not complaining because it suits his role well as the rocker who would not surrender to old age, and who tries hard to bridge the generation gap between him and his three daughters.

Question and answer portion. Q: Who dies? A: This is a romantic comedy. You might be referring to The Road. Q: Does it end happily ever after? A: Does the sun shine every morning where you live? Q: Does Gerald Anderson remove his shirt? A: I think it is also stipulated in his contract. Q: Will I be smiling after I leave the cinema? A: If you are not Jessica Zafra, probably yes. Q: I am a feminist, will I love this movie? A: If making the girl look like a depressed drooling gaga over love makes feminists happy, I do not see a reason why it should not be the case for you. Q: How many best friends with no lives of their own did they cast this time? A: Four. Five, if you include John Lapus. But he was funny and natural here so I do not really mind, and ohe is a DJ too, so he has a life. The other four just ate pizza and feigned reading review books. Q: Does Sarah Geronimo wear a wig? A: Cathy Garcia Molina is not the director.